About Nippon Viajero
Nippon Viajero is a cultural food project rooted in the lived experience of cooking Mexican cuisine in Japan.
What began as a personal exploration of adaptation by Vanessa — founder, author, and culinary creative — evolved from a curiosity about how traditional recipes transform when ingredients, seasons, and language shift. It has since grown into a platform for education, community, and cultural dialogue.
Cooking Between Cultures
Cooking Mexican food in Japan requires adaptation, patience, and respect — for ingredients, for seasonality, and for the people gathered at the table.
This work is not about recreating Mexico exactly as it exists, nor about simplifying it for convenience. It is about translation. It asks how traditional techniques can be preserved while responding responsibly to place.
Japanese seasonality influences menus. Local markets reshape sourcing. Substitutions are made with intention rather than compromise.
In this context, authenticity becomes a relationship rather than a fixed outcome.
nippon viajero cookbook
AUTHENTIC MEXICAN COOKING IN JAPAN
The cookbook emerged from years of navigating the practical and cultural realities of cooking abroad.
It was created for people living in Japan who are curious about Mexican cuisine but unsure where to begin — how to source ingredients, what can be substituted, and how to understand the deeper context behind each dish.
The book reflects Mexican food as it is experienced here: shaped by availability, guided by tradition, and informed by ongoing dialogue between cultures.
It is not presented as a definitive version of Mexican cuisine, but as a situated one.
the project
EDUCATION & COMMUNITY
Beyond the page, Nippon Viajero exists through shared experiences.
Workshops, pop-ups, collaborations, and cultural events create opportunities for people to encounter Mexican cuisine with context and care. These gatherings are not performances, but spaces for conversation and exchange.
Food becomes a bridge — not because it is simplified, but because it is explained, respected, and thoughtfully prepared.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
Hola,
I’m Vanessa — a Mexican chef, author, and cultural educator based in Japan.
I began cooking Mexican food here out of necessity. I wanted to prepare the dishes I grew up with, but the markets were different, the seasons moved differently, and many ingredients simply weren’t available. What started as adaptation slowly became inquiry: what does it mean to cook a cuisine outside of its place of origin?
Over time, I realized that cooking Mexican food in Japan is not about perfect replication. It is about responsibility. It requires understanding technique deeply enough to adapt it without losing its cultural foundation. It requires patience with substitution, attention to seasonality, and respect for the people who receive the food.
Living in Japan reshaped my perspective. I became more attentive to sourcing, more conscious of context, and more intentional about explaining the “why” behind each dish. This approach eventually led to the creation of my cookbook — a reflection of Mexican cuisine as it exists in my lived experience here.
Through Nippon Viajero, I aim to create spaces where food fosters understanding rather than spectacle. My work moves between publishing, workshops, catering, and collaboration, but the intention remains consistent: to cook and share Mexican cuisine with integrity, clarity, and care.
For me, cooking between cultures is not a trend. It is a long-term practice of listening, translating, and building connection at the table.
Vanessa Quintana
founder
whats next
LOOKING FORWARD
Nippon Viajero continues to grow as a cultural platform — expanding through writing, collaboration, and thoughtful culinary programming.
At its core, the project remains grounded in a simple belief: that cooking between cultures can be a careful, intentional act of connection.
At Nippon Viajero we have made it our goal to investigate our mothers recipes and adapt them to your Japanese kitchen.
We want to bring them to your table without compromising the flavor and integrity. It is so much more than making recipes easy. It is an evolution of culture and tradition.
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